With heavy hearts, The Mark on The Square closed operations on Saturday, March 7th, 2020.
SEE PRESS RELEASE BELOW...02/20/2020:
The Mark On The Square, located in downtown Newark on the north side of the courthouse, will be closing operation at the end of the day on Saturday, March 7. The Forman Family owners shared the announcement yesterday with staff. The closing does not affect the continued operation of River Road Coffeehouse...with which The Mark shares customer seating space.
The family explained that the small kitchen space and the footprint of the bar just did not support the volume of customer sales needed to be viable. "While we were very creative in using our small kitchen to provide an interesting mix of small plates and bar snacks," said Mark Forman, "we just could not sustain a consistent lunch or evening customer flow." He also noted that the offering of local craft beers and select wines was not a sufficient competitive advantage compared to other downtown Newark after-hours drinks venues.
The continuing success of River Road Coffeehouse at the downtown location was a significant factor in launching The Mark, but Forman noted that the expanding customer flow at the coffeehouse did not translate to the Craft Beer & Wine Bar. He added that "we will be exploring alternative uses of the space with other possible tenants as well as the possibility of extending the offerings of the coffeehouse."
While it is usual for small food and beverage businesses to make closing announcements after their final day of business, the family wanted to make sure that customers and staff would have some advance notice. The family is extremely grateful for the support of friends, customers and the dedicated staff.
SEE PRESS RELEASE BELOW...02/20/2020:
The Mark On The Square, located in downtown Newark on the north side of the courthouse, will be closing operation at the end of the day on Saturday, March 7. The Forman Family owners shared the announcement yesterday with staff. The closing does not affect the continued operation of River Road Coffeehouse...with which The Mark shares customer seating space.
The family explained that the small kitchen space and the footprint of the bar just did not support the volume of customer sales needed to be viable. "While we were very creative in using our small kitchen to provide an interesting mix of small plates and bar snacks," said Mark Forman, "we just could not sustain a consistent lunch or evening customer flow." He also noted that the offering of local craft beers and select wines was not a sufficient competitive advantage compared to other downtown Newark after-hours drinks venues.
The continuing success of River Road Coffeehouse at the downtown location was a significant factor in launching The Mark, but Forman noted that the expanding customer flow at the coffeehouse did not translate to the Craft Beer & Wine Bar. He added that "we will be exploring alternative uses of the space with other possible tenants as well as the possibility of extending the offerings of the coffeehouse."
While it is usual for small food and beverage businesses to make closing announcements after their final day of business, the family wanted to make sure that customers and staff would have some advance notice. The family is extremely grateful for the support of friends, customers and the dedicated staff.